GTA VI: What is the official timeline for the Grand Theft Auto franchise?

2026-11-05 04:15, by Chris

GTA VI is coming in two weeks, and you’ll be able to download the game very soon. Starting November 10, you’ll be able to pre-install the game on PS5 and Xbox Series X/S (provided you have 212 GB of space on your SSD). In any case, this makes the game’s release feel very real, and we’re slowly realizing that, yes, it’s finally almost here.

Although Rockstar Games hasn’t yet made an official announcement on the subject, we know that GTA 6 is expected to take place in the modern era, likely in 2025 or 2026. But that hasn’t always been the case with the GTA games. Some have taken place in the past, another in the future… And not all GTA games share the same timeline.

To help you get your bearings a bit before the new installment’s release, here’s the official timeline of the Grand Theft Auto saga!

The 60s

That’s right! Chronologically speaking, the GTA franchise began in the 1960s, so 66 years ago! Or, to be precise, 65 years. Chronologically, it was GTA: London 1961, the first game in the series. It’s an expansion pack for the very first Grand Theft Auto. This pack was released exclusively on PC in 1999. Around the same time, we got a second expansion pack with GTA: London 1969, available on PC and PlayStation. Overall, it’s the same kind of madness, but set in 1969.

The 80s

We take a leap forward in time to 1984, 15 years after GTA London 1969. The third installment in the Grand Theft Auto series, in chronological order, is GTA: Vice City Stories. It’s a prequel to GTA: Vice City. You play as Victor Vance, Lance Vance’s brother, who finds himself at the center of a conspiracy. Kicked out of the army in disgrace, Vic decides to set out on a quest for revenge.

Ultimately, Vic dies in the opening sequence of GTA: Vice City, two years later, in 1986. His death serves as the starting point for one of the storylines in Vice City. This time, you play as Tommy Vercetti, in a game heavily inspired by Scarface. Both games offer a sensational atmosphere with an exceptional ’80s soundtrack.

The 90s

We continue this timeline with the 1990s. Starting in 1992, we follow the adventures of CJ, aka Carl Johnson, in GTA San Andreas. The game is set in the early 1990s and incorporates real-life events, including the infamous Los Angeles riots.

A few years later, in 1997, is when the very first installment of the Grand Theft Auto series takes place. Although, in this case, it’s hard to say that it had any real influence. The game doesn’t really have a main character or a storyline.

The events of GTA: Liberty City Stories take place in 1998; it’s a prequel to GTA III and thus takes place three years before the adventures of Claude Speed. This is your chance to discover how Toni Cipriani, the game’s hero, arrives in Liberty City and makes a name for himself in the underworld, eventually becoming one of Salvatore Leone’s key allies, a character we’ll encounter again in Grand Theft Auto III.

The 2000s

We’re moving into a new decade with the 2000s. Right off the bat, we discover Mike’s adventures in GTA Advance, which takes place in Liberty City. It’s a sort of prequel to GTA III, which was developed specifically for the Game Boy Advance. But that wasn’t really the target platform for this type of game. It’s one of the forgotten GTA titles.

In 2001, Grand Theft Auto III was released, and the game is set in the same year. Originally scheduled for late September 2001, the game’s release was postponed to change the cover art, remove a few missions, and modify some dialogue in the wake of the World Trade Center attacks.

Three years later, in 2004, the prologue to Grand Theft Auto V takes place, in which Michael fakes his own death, abandoning Brad and Trevor.

Four years later, in 2008, we revisit the stories of Niko Bellic, Johnny Klebitz, and Luis Lopez in Grand Theft Auto IV and Episodes from Liberty City. It was through this game and its two expansions that Rockstar Games tested its mechanic allowing players to play the same missions from different perspectives.

Finally, still in the 2000s, we discovered the adventures of Huang Lee within the Liberty City Triad in GTA: Chinatown Wars in 2009.

The 2010s

The 2010s begin in 2012 with the first events of GTA Online. Although the official launch date of the GTA Online storyline isn’t known, we do know that our character’s adventures begin shortly before the events of GTA V, which take place in 2013.

However, 2013 is also the year in which the events of Grand Theft Auto 2 take place which, incidentally, is the only futuristic installment in the GTA franchise. Released in 1999, the game plunged us into the city of Anywhere City in 2013. But, as with the first game, you didn’t actually control a character at all, and there was no story.

In any case, 2013 is primarily the setting for Grand Theft Auto V, featuring the adventures of Michael, Franklin, and Trevor. It’s also the year in which the events of GTA Online continued, intersecting with those of GTA V and carrying on well beyond the conclusion of our three heist artists’ adventures.

The 2020s

And indeed, between 2020 and 2025, the events of GTA Online continued, so much so that in 2021, we were able to see Franklin again, many years after the events of GTA V. And in 2025, we were able to see Michael again, who had also aged quite a bit. Rockstar Games has continued to grow GTA Online with free content and updates, with a timeline that has never stopped moving forward.

In just a few days, we’ll discover the adventures of Jason and Lucia in the Leonida region with Grand Theft Auto VI. This will be the latest installment in the GTA series, both in terms of release date and chronology. However, we may still see flashbacks and possible prologues set in the 2000s or 2010s. See you on November 19 to find out!